The death regulation of damaged pulp cells after cavity preparation is not well-known. In this study, we examined whether apoptosis is associated with the death regulation of damaged pulp cells. In normal rat molars, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells were not observed. Just after surgery, odontoblasts under cavities were TUNEL-positive, and these sig...

This study was conducted to observe the response of dog's dental pulp to hydrpxylapatite (Hap) and calcium hydroxide when used as pulp capping materials. After the pulps of 22 teeth were exposed, they were capped with either Hap or calcium hydroxide. Histological analysis was performed 8 weeks after treatment. Results showed that pulp exposure caused irreversible injury of odontoblasts, which w...

Deletion of smpd3 induces osteogenesis and dentinogenesis imperfecta in mice. smpd3 is highly elevated in the parietal bones of developing mouse calvaria, but not in sutural mesenchymes. Here, we examine the mechanism of smpd3 regulation, which involves BMP2 stimulation of Runx2. smpd3 mRNA expression increased in response to BMP2 treatment and Runx2 transfection in C2C12 cells. The Runx2-respo...

The continuously growing rodent incisor is a widely used model to investigate odontogenesis and mineralized tissue formation. This study focused on evaluating the mouse mandibular incisor as an experimental biological tool for analyzing in vivo the capacity of odontoblast-like progenitors or bioactive molecules to contribute to reparative dentinogenesis. We describe here a surgical procedure al...

The aim of the present work was to characterize the odontoblastic proliferation, differentiation, and matrix mineralization in culture of the recently established M2H4 rat cell line. Proliferation was assessed by cell counts, differentiation by RT-PCR analysis, and mineralization by alizarin red staining, atomic absorption spectrometry, and FTIR microspectroscopy. The results showed that M2H4 c...

MMP-20 (enamelysin), the matrix metalloproteinase family member discovered in the enamel organ, has also been detected in odontoblasts during dentin formation. We studied the presence and localization of MMP-20 in mature human teeth in health and disease. In immunohistochemistry, MMP-20-positive staining was observed most intensively in the radicular odontoblastic layer and also in dilated dent...